Drive-by protest at legislature to support healthcare

EDMONTON --
At the same time Alberta MLA’s were in session Tuesday afternoon, a stream of vehicles drove slowly past the legislature honking horns and shouting their message.

“With the degree of the cuts to health care, reducing all the support to physicians at the time of pandemic with COVID, what could we do to protest at a time of social distancing,” asked Sue Reid, an anesthesiologist at the Grey Nuns hospital.

The drive-by protest attracted only about 15 vehicles with drivers staying safe and warm in the wintery conditions.

“These people are supposed to be serving Albertans and we all need health care, education, and particularity physicians that could concentrate on what they need to do without fearing they can’t keep their clinics open. COVID is real people, we have a pandemic, this is not the time,” said Reid.

They are calling on the UCP government to put on hold any further changes to the Alberta healthcare system during a global pandemic.

“The timing and the inhumanity, and the complete lack of empathy and understanding is beyond me.”

The protest had support from Lorna Thomas of the Alberta Arts Matter Coalition.

“We are very concerned about the fact doctors don’t have an agreement that works well for citizens and doctors, so we are here to help them get organized and to raise voices against what’s going on inside,” said Thomas.

Under the watchful eye of sheriffs from the legislature, the protestors made two passes of the east entrance.

“We are not accepting this, this is wrong. We’re here to wake people up and to make our point,” added Reid.